Brady Arrhythmias is any disruption of cardiac rhythm resulting in 60 heartbeats per minute or less. However, it should be noted that 60 BPM is normal heart rate for young adults and athletes. There are multiple possible causes including heart tissue damage, hypothyroidism and inflammatory diseases: Risk for Brady Arrhythmia increases due to age, smoking and high blood pressure. Effects include fainting or feeling faint, fatigue and chest pains. Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms ranging from medications to implanting a pacemaker to monitor heart rate and generate electrical impulses to stimulate a proper heartrate.
Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia. In A Fib, the right and left atrium do not produce a normal
Tachycardia: Tachycardia typically refers to a heart rate that exceeds the normal range for a resting heart rate. When the heart beats rapidly, the heart pumps less efficiently and provides less blood flow to the body and the heart. The rapid heartbeat increases the workload and oxygen demand of the heart. Problems will occur with the heart as tachycardia persists over time. The heart is maintaining less oxygen, which will lead to an MI due to death of the myocardial cells. Patient will start to have angina because of this. Tachycardia is noted in many diseases and disorder like: fever endocarditis, anemia, HTN, pericarditis, abnormal heart impulses, anxiety, older age, sleep apnea, COPD, electrolyte imbalances, and many more.
EKG is an electrocardiogram, a machine used to check on problems with your electrical activity with your heart. An electrocardiogram machine translates the heart’s electrical pattern into lines that specific professionals can read it. The first EKG was made by Willem Einthoven, a Dutch Java island (now called Indonesia) born citizen. Willem was born the 21st day of May 1860. His father, Jacob Einthoven, was born and educated in Groningen (Netherlands). His father was also
Since our clinical experience was in the simulation lab, I do not have any background information about my patient. My first time having experience with a bradycardic patient was actually last week during clinicals. He had a heart rate that was consistently in the 40s and he had a pacemaker inserted that day. Risk factors of bradycardia that are modifiable lifestyle changes include smoking, using recreational drugs, alcohol use, high blood pressure and stress. A few complications of untreated bradycardia include inability to pump enough blood throughout the body, frequent fainting spells or even cardiac arrest.
Atrial flutter is when the heartbeat is fast but regular. There are two types of atrial flutter:
Great post. I like the points you outlined about assessment of Mr. J. You started with maintaining ABC’s to checking lower extremities pulses to ensure that it is not cut off by the tight constrictive band of the eschar. ECG should be monitored at least the first 24 hours because Mr. J is prone to cardiac arrest due to high electrical voltage injury. Fluid resuscitation with 14 or 16 gauge preferably through unburned tissue, and infusion of lactated Ringer’s solution will help to prevent shock. Assessment of vital signs and pain is very important, the nurse should also assess for history of tetanus immunization because burn wounds are prone to tetanus. Mr.’s brief medical history is important in case he has any allergies, current medical
What is atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation, also known as afib, is an irregular heartbeat that produces disorganized electrical signals within the heart. This results in quivering of the atria, or top chambers of the heart which allows blood to pool. Stagnant blood in the atria increases the risk of developing a blood clot.1 The blood clot can enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain resulting in a stroke. Atrial fibrillation is associated with a 5 times increased risk for stroke, and approximately 15-20 percent of people who experience a stroke have atrial fibrillation.2 Symptoms of atrial fibrillation are heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.1(p6) The incidence of afib increases
Most physicians and people who acquired the problem usually know it as A-FIB, a shorter term for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation deals with the cardiovascular system, in particular, the heart in the body. It is defined as, “the electrical signals that control this system are off-kilter. Instead of working together the atria do their own thing, causing fast fluttering heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia” (WEBMD). In a normal pumping blood of the heart the atria would squeeze first, followed by the ventricles of the heart. A-fib can be a serious issue if not treated, due to the inadequate pumping of the blood, causing a higher chance of heart failure. It is also a higher chance in getting a stroke, because improper flow of the blood can cause clots in the
Arrhythmias: auscultate apical pulse to detect an irregular heart rate or bradycardia; both indicate a reduced cardiac output, which requires immediate intervention.
When one begins to discuss issues that arise with an intrinsic organ, things get serious. Unfortunately, vital organs like the heart and liver that are causing problems can’t be removed like the appendix or the kidney and “cure” people of issues such as Appendicitis or constant dealings with gallstones. This is true when things begin to go awry within the heart and conditions begin to arise. Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib) is the most common type of arrhythmia, or issue with the heart rate or rhythm. Though A-fib is not a condition that is life-threatening, depending on the severity and lack of treatment, this condition leads to more serious issues like heart disease, and even heart attacks and strokes, which are usually what end up being the cause of death in individuals diagnosed with the condition. Because of A-fib leading to other more detrimental problems, such as the ones listed above, it is difficult to identify and pinpoint if someone has it or had it, which is why it is known as one of the contributors to the “silent killer,” also known as the heart attack. In this paper, gaining a deeper understanding of Atrial Fibrillation will be accomplished through the exploration of: causes, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment, the variation of types, what all is affected within the body as a result, what happens physically, and what occurs at the cellular level when diagnosed with this disorder. All in all, Atrial Fibrillation should be taken seriously and further research is
Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disease that mainly affects the apex of the heart and does not cause any obstruction. [1] These abnormalities in the heart muscle can cause a wide variety of symptoms. As the heart becomes stiff it increases the pressure in the left ventricle which can push blood back into the lungs, causing shortness of breath in exercise. Chest pain can occur as there is not enough oxygen available to the cardiac muscle due to insufficient blood supply. Palpitations and lightheadedness, along with other conditions can occur as a result of HCM. In addition to these discomforting symptoms, the patient may develop an arrhythmias that often goes unnoticed. An arrhythmia takes place as the electrical conduction of the heart is disturbed by the abnormal scattering of myocytes. The two most common arrhythmias are atrial fibrillation causing palpitations, and ventricular tachycardia that can be life threatening causing sudden death. Both conditions can be controlled with medication. [4]
Using a criteria of a resting heart rate >100 bpm and an average heart rate of >90 bpm on 24-hour Holter monitoring, Still et al., estimated the prevalence of IST in a middle-aged population of men and women. The IST prevalence was 1.2% (7 of 604 patients) [2], including both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. IST has also been reported in older population. [5] Although, IST is believed to be a chronic condition, long-term complications are few. IST has been associated with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in isolated cases [6][7] and no mortality has been yet reported.
The heart is one of the most important organs in an organism’s body, no matter if they are aquatic, amphibian, or a mammal. This super organ works automatically, able to pump massive amounts of oxygen rich blood through the body by means of electrical impulses and the opening and closing of valves within its many layers. It is what keeps us and every other creature on this earth alive; so it is only natural for one to fear when there might be a problem with one’s heart. A cardiac arrhythmia can happen to anyone, no matter the age, race, or gender, and as such, doctors and scientist have spent years trying to better understand the heart and the way it functions so that they can try to prevent these problems and save millions of lives.
An arrhythmia is a problem associated with the electrical activity of the heart resulting in a heartrate that can be too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). Arrhythmias are generally categorized as ventricular or supraventricular.1 Ventricular arrhythmias are a condition in which extra heartbeats originate from the lower chambers of the heart and can be classified as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or premature ventricular contractions. Supraventricular arrhythmias originate in the upper chambers of the heart and can be less serious than ventricular arrhythmias. Both types of arrhythmia can cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, or syncope. The National Institute
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of irregular heartbeat or dysrhythmia. Atrial fibrillation can be something that happens every now and sometimes you may develop atrial fibrillation that doesn’t go away and needs to be treated. Symptoms of atrial fibrillation usually include heart palpations, dizziness or light-headedness, and a feeling of fluttering or “butterflies” in the chest. Although AF may be asymptomatic, up to two thirds of patients report that the arrhythmia is disruptive to their lives (Markides, 2003). Atrial fibrillation can a lot of the time lead to more serious complications such as stroke, and other heart diseases.